A 27-year-old Arizona man, Randal Basilio Santillan, faces first-degree murder and kidnapping charges after allegedly luring 18-year-old Yessenia “Sisi” Norman—whom he met on a dating app—to his Tolleson apartment, stabbing her nearly 30 times, and fleeing across state lines.
Case Timeline
Yessenia Norman left her transitional housing facility (run by Arizona’s Department of Child Safety) on January 15, 2026, to meet Santillan; friends reported her missing four days later. Her mutilated body, stabbed 27 times and covered in blankets and towels, was found on January 28 in Santillan’s apartment near Phoenix. He fled shortly after, tracked via traffic cameras through New Mexico, Illinois, and Missouri, before his arrest on February 6 in Biloxi, Mississippi—about 1,600 miles away. He’s held in Harrison County Detention Center awaiting extradition.
Victim’s Background
Norman, described by family and a GoFundMe as compassionate, strong, and eager for her future, loved her friends’ kids like family and had just enrolled in community college to start her adult life. Her mother, Jessica Calderon (or Nuñez in some reports), expressed devastation, saying, “I just can’t imagine. Who would do that to her?”
Investigation Notes
Authorities haven’t released a motive. Tolleson PD, with FBI help, built the case from evidence at the scene, digital communications, and Santillan’s flight path. He lived in the apartment (previously with an ex-wife who left in December) and will face charges upon return to Arizona.
This tragedy underscores dating app safety risks; Norman was excited about a new connection that ended violently. A GoFundMe supports her memorial.
